Crusader boys complete roster

Despite four losses last week, the Mayer Lutheran boys’ soccer team is feeling positive, having picked up two new players. The Crusaders welcomed Lester Prairie players Jose Amaya and Brandon Duffy last week and now will have a least one substitute for most games. Mayer Lutheran is 0-9-1 this season.

Watertown 4, Mayer 0 Mayer Lutheran head coach Josh Hanley said the Sept. 18 game against Watertown-Mayer was a great one.

“We played really well,” he said.

The loss wasn’t attributed to a lack of shots on goal for Mayer Lutheran, but simply that they could not get the goals to find the back of the net.

“He’s doing a very good job at center forward,” Hanley said. “Being alone up top is one of the hardest things you can do.”

Hanley added that the team gave the game their all.

“We played our game and we tried very hard,” he said.

Watertown 3, Mayer 0 In the small, four-school Watertown-Mayer tournament on Sept. 22, the Crusaders faced two teams, Hutchinson and the host team. Once again against Watertown-Mayer, it was not a lack of shots that kept the Crusaders down, but the inability to find the back of the net. Down a few players, the Crusaders had only one substitute for the entire tournament. Senior Zach Schilling, who suffered a sprained ankle earlier in the week against the Royals, was only able to play for short bursts of time, but still was able to be the team’s sub.

Hutchinson 7, Mayer 0
The Crusaders started well against Hutchinson, but playing 160 minutes of soccer with only a two hour break and one substitute ran down the team. Hanley said about halfway through the second half against Hutchinson, the entire Crusader team was overcome with exhaustion.

“It was almost like lemmings,” Hanley said. “They all kind of jumped off the cliff at the same time.”

The Crusaders continued to have multiple shots on goal, even at the end of the game.

“I respect that they tried as hard as they did,” Hanley said. “Once again, we’re moving the ball and we’re getting penetration. It’s not like last year when we couldn’t get the ball out of our own end.”